Biloela businesses brace for storm

Local businesses are making sure they are prepared for the upcoming storm season by coming together at the first Business Roundtable EXTEND hosted by Westpac on Tuesday, July 31.

"Major disruptions to business can bring an entire community to a halt," said Westpac's Biloela Bank Manager, Richard Reynolds. "Biloelabusinesses aren't waiting, they are getting around the table to ensure that they have a better understanding of the risks locally, and a plan of action for their business should anything occur."

"Like many other regions, our shire can and has been subjected to incidents and events that cause damage and disruption to our communities" said Banana Shire Council CEO, Ray Geraghty.

"We asked Volunteering Qld to bring this program to our shire because we could see the benefit for businesses in having local access to experts that can help them understand and prepare for disaster events and plan for their recovery" said Ray Geraghty.

"For a community to recover after a major disaster, the local economy needs to thrive," said Jelenko Dragisic CEO of Volunteering Qld.  "Volunteering Qld and Westpac have established roundtables across the state so that businesses can regularly meet and access local emergency management updates and business continuity advice."

Most importantly though, businesses are sharing their experiences, as well as their phone numbers, and as a result the opportunities for businesses to be better prepared is endless.

"Businesses are banding together and exchanging advice about must-have preparations you'd not normally think to have in place, "said Jelenko Dragisic.

"By working together to understand the risks that they face and ensuring that they are able to continue providing their services during or soon after a disaster, businesses play a fundamental role in supporting the resilience of a community" said Ray Geraghty. "We encourage all businesses to get involved. It's smart business."